Trial of Goran Salihović Begins, He Says Indictment Is Unclear

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - The trial of Goran Salihović, former chief prosecutor of the State Prosecutor's Office, who is charged with abuse of office or authority, began with the reading of the indictment and opening statements by the Sarajevo Cantonal Prosecutor's Office and the Defense.

According to the indictment, read by prosecutor Amra Mehmedić, Salihović, while serving as chief prosecutor of the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina from the beginning of February 2013 until September 28, 2016, abused his official position, acted contrary to regulations, and obtained a benefit in the amount of over 80,103 convertible marks (KM).

The indictment states that Salihović used representation funds and knowingly acted contrary to regulations and a decision that prescribed annual spending limits of 20,000 KM both domestically and abroad, and ordered funds intended for exhumations, witness and expert hearings to be transferred for this purpose, spending those amounts outside the Prosecutor's Office of BiH in catering establishments in the country and abroad, including on weekends and while on annual leave.

The second count of the indictment states that on April 29, 2015, he traveled to Paris with his associates and an escort from the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies of BiH for a prosecutors' conference organized on the fight against terrorism, but due to sightseeing in the city, despite warnings, they were late and missed the flight for which they had return tickets.

This resulted in the purchase of new tickets, which Salihović, according to the indictment, paid for with his own funds, but upon return, he demanded and ordered the head of the Material and Financial Affairs Department to refund him the amount of 3,874 KM, after which the Directorate for Coordination of Police Bodies refunded 1,291 KM to the Prosecutor's Office for its employee.

When asked by the presiding judge of the Trial Chamber, Jasenko Ružić, whether he understood the indictment, Salihović answered negatively, stating that it is not clear to him what he is being charged with.

“The factual description is incomprehensible and unclear. It does not imply that I acted contrary to the interests of the service. There was no exceeding of limits or budget, which was not damaged. These facts arise from the audit report, as well as from expert findings,” said Salihović.

In her opening statement, Prosecutor Mehmedić stated that the Prosecution will hear witnesses and experts, and present material documentation, including receipts and an insight into representation costs, in order to prove that Salihović, as an official, abused his position.

“Witnesses will speak about the arbitrariness and arrogance of the accused in performing his duties and about his willful ignoring of warnings from employees,” added the prosecutor.

Defense attorney Rifat Konjić said that the Defense will propose its evidence after the Prosecution finishes with its proposals, all with the aim, as he added, of proving that the actions of the accused do not constitute the elements of a criminal offense, and that the Prosecution will not be able to prove that he intentionally missed the plane.

In his address, Salihović said that one should imagine a prosecutor who has stooped to stealing a lunch and immediately hang him if he is guilty of that, and that the Prosecutor's Office will not be able to prove that he declared official trips secret, adding: “Maybe I declared it ‘secret’ so that no one would follow me, to be safe.”

While he was chief prosecutor, according to his words, there was enormous regional cooperation on projects for war crimes cases, but now there is none at all.

“A delegation lands on Sunday, they call me to ask where to go for dinner, and we can't meet until four o'clock. Hence the expenditure on representation on non-working days. The chief prosecutor's time is 24 hours, not until 4 p.m.,” said Salihović.

Speaking about the second count of the indictment, he explained in the courtroom that he did not miss the plane, that they were at the airport an hour before check-in, but that they searched the man who was guarding him because he seemed suspicious to them.

“This is a witch hunt. It is shameful that a chief prosecutor is treated in this way, whether I missed a plane or ate a lunch. Am I guilty that the trial has been waited for four years? The goal was to destroy the judiciary and create the legal chaos we have now. This is a fabricated case – a ‘Kafka’ case,” said Salihović, adding that while he was chief prosecutor, the Prosecutor's Office worked in three shifts, but now there is no work for a single prosecutor.

The first witnesses for the Prosecution will be heard on February 14, writes detektor.ba.